Most of us are looking for a better approach to combating pests in our garden and use an environmentally sensitive approach. But how do you go about that when aphids are overrunning your plants or Japanese beetles devour flowers and leaves on your plants? First you need to find out what kind of pest is damaging your plants, what their life cycle is and their interaction with the environment.

Once you have this information, you can use pest control methods and manage pest damage by the most economical means, with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment.

This presentation will also go into some detail of creating a healthy garden which turns into a backyard habitat. This balanced garden attracts a variety of predators which will devour pests, leaving you more time to garden and enjoy the fruits and flowers of your labor.

Marty Oostveen was born and raised in the small town of Bunnik in the Netherlands. There, the backyard was dedicated to fruit and vegetables; chickens were kept in a large chicken coop and there were always a few rabbits around. Over time the backyard was transformed into an ornamental garden filled with flowers, shrubs and small trees.

In 1981 Marty moved to the US but it wasn’t until the nineties when she started gardening again after marrying and buying a home in Hillsborough, NJ. No fan of lawns, the backyard of the 1/5 acre property was turned into a perennial garden. The front yard, landscaped by the builder with a few trees and lawn underwent a transformation as well and gradually beds were pushed out until there was just enough lawn left to keep a few local rabbits supplied with some grass. Now retired, Marty and her husband relocated to Douglassville, PA on a larger lot where she can create new gardens in the back, side and front of their new home. Marty also provides lectures to local gardening clubs on a range of subjects. You can find more information on her website www.martysgarden.us